Greece to grant full access to ‘Cyprus File’ on junta, coup and invasion

The Greek parliament has agreed to grant Cyprus full access to material collected by a committee that investigated the 1974 coup and subsequent Turkish invasion, it was announced on Monday.

The deal was struck during a visit by House President Yiannakis Omirou to Athens.

A co-operation protocol signed by the two sides grants the Cypriot parliament access to the material collected during the Greek parliament’s investigation into the events.

The information, known as the Cyprus File, can be found in the archives of the Greek parliament, but despite repeated requests it had refused to hand it over until now.

From 1967 to 1974, Greece was ruled by a military junta who played a pivotal role in developments in Cyprus, especially during the coup.

“At some stage this committee should leave courtesy aside and take our suitcases and go to the office of the (Greek) prime minister even if he does not see us, or the president of (the Greek) parliament, and ask them,” DIKO MP Zaharias Koulias said back in 2010.

Koulias was a member of a parliamentary committee investigating the coup and the invasion.

The committee concluded that the Greek junta, egged on by NATO circles, was primarily responsible.

Its report does not apportion any criminal or other liability for the coup that toppled Archbishop Makarios, as this was not part of the parliamentary committee’s terms of reference.

Yet its wording unmistakably puts the blame squarely on the military dictatorship that ruled Greece in the 1960s and 1970s.

The junta is said to have consistently undermined Makarios and Cypriot independence from the outset.

“A fundamental policy in various circles in Athens was the prevention of any Soviet influence over Cyprus. This would be achieved through the imposition of a solution that would consolidate NATO interests on the basis of a two-way Enosis [i.e. partitioning Cyprus, giving one part to Turkey and one part to Greece], but there was lack of awareness of Turkey’s broader strategic objectives,” the report concludes.

“To that end, Archbishop Makarios needed to be removed from power as he stood in the way of this policy. His removal would come about either via his voluntary withdrawal from the presidency (naturally following pressure) or via a violent overthrow.”

Only the late Nicos Sampson, the man who was installed as president by the coupists – and lasted eight days – stood trial and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Three years into his sentence he was allowed to go to France on medical grounds. He returned to prison in Cyprus in 1990 but was freed again a few months later. He died in 2001.

Sixty-two civil servants who had been sacked following the events were pardoned in the 1990s.

Oh, really, they would? Now – who in Cyprus would be interested to study this file and publish results of the research? Most of those who will have access – would not be interested, I guess. Suggest to give this file straight to Makarios Droussiotis.

TheBlueHornett

Will it be the real deal ?

No_Name12

“Cypriot parliament access to the material collected during the Greek parliament’s investigation into the events”. This is not full access. Full access means declassification of documents, so that historians, other researchers and the general public of Greece, Cyprus, and anyone else interested, will have access to it.

Gismofly

“Two-Way Enosis”? Codswallop! The aim of the junta was to create a completely Greek Cyprus. Makarios (black Mac) wanted an independent Cyprus so he had to go. The Turks had to be eliminated and all traces of their culture blotted out. There is a name for this crime and it should carry the death penalty not 20 years in prison and a get-out-of-jail card.

Bluestorm

A childish comment.They antagonized Makarios and vice versa.They had no plan at all. Immediately after the coup they had no civillian government ready to take over and were knocking on doors to find one .They did not know what to do about Turkey’s military reaction and subsequent invasion.No plan ,no plan at all.On the other hand they might have been puppets of the …… Military juntas usually are.

antonis/ac

“Turkey . . . was fast talking herself into military intervention to protect the allegedly beleaguered Turkish Cypriot community. That they were in fact in no danger and that Turkey had no genuine pretext for military intervention is well illustrated by Mr. Oliver’s [British high commissioner, Nicosia] telegram.” (Commander of British Forces Near East (Cyprus), report, 15 May, 1975, WO 386/21; quoted in W. Mallinson, 2010).

TB

This will make not a single iota of difference to the version of these events that has come to represent the so called truth in the ROC in which reality plays very little part.

antonis/ac

More evidences that confirm our view that the Turkish Cypriots were never in danger and that the Junta did not aim at enosis. The targets of the coup were the Republic of Cyprus and Makarios; not the Turkish Cypriots. The objective: Get rid of Makarios and negotiate with the Turks double-enosis.

RudyDajuda

Let’s look at Akritas again….

antonis/ac

How many more times? Following is what a British source said:

“The Defense Adviser has been carefully through the whole document and has discussed it at length with the U.S. Embassy. . . and that the whole plan is no more than contingency planning, in the event of an outbreak of fighting initiated by the Turks. The Turkish Government and the Turkish Cypriots will undoubtedly make the most of their propaganda effort . . . possibly in the Strasbourg context, but it may not make all that much impact.” (Elliot to Short, letter, 19 May, 1977; quoted in William Mallinson, 2010).

RudyDajuda

Mostly you disqualify any British or US sources, miraculosly this is welcomed… Interesting!

Read also in today’s edition: “Bones of 86 Turkish Cypriots found” please..
You always insisted: no Turkish Cypriots killed during the coup and the invasion by NG, EOKA or whoever….

What is your point of view about this? Collective suicide?

antonis/ac

I believe that you need to be more careful when you read my comments. Otherwise, you will continue to misinterpret me.

PG

For the record, those crimes were committed after the Turkish invasion and not before. After the invasion such crimes were committed in both directions. Not before, at least not in ’74.

Johno

GSP, spot on – if it wasn’t so tragic one would laugh!!!!

Johno

Isn’t it telling that NONE of those responsible for the GRAND catastrophe in Cyprus have even had to apologise or face justice – Israel pursues and punishes those who committed crimes against their people 70 years on. In Cyprus Insurrection against the elected government, loss of more than a third of our territory, destruction of the economy and worst of all – so many lives lost and we have let them get away with it!!!!!!!!

GSP

No, we didn’t let them get away with it – we punished them by putting them in control and forcing them to pocket loads of our money. We taught them!
Sarcasm, by the way.

No_Name12

Not to mention the murderers, torturers and rapists of GC and TC civilians, who are roaming around the island still.

Steven Roberts

British Government files usually fall into two categories, those covered by the ’30 year rule’ and those by the ’50 year rule.’ Only a very small number are kept classified longer than that. Martin Bell had access to most of the files from the EOKA period when he wrote his book “The End of Empire: Cyprus – a soldier’s story.” If there are any still classified they should now be released.

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